Multiplex pulse transmission system



Feb. 13, 1951 W A, BEATTY 2,541,023

MULTIPLEX PULSE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM Original Filed Jan. 24, 1941 Pfff/ISE HMH/raaf 14.0. J//Frff Moon .4me 30u/P05 IN V EN TOR.

HTYUP/VEY Patented Feb. 13, 1951 ifstrArEs PATE-N T OFFICE MULTIPLEX PULSE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM AWilliam Arnold Beatty, London, England, assi'gnor to International-Standard Electric Corporation,

"This inventi'o'n relates to multiplex `transmis- 'sion systems, l particullarly those 'utilizing ipulses "of vvariable duration.

This is .a division 'of my `copending application nfBeatty "LlZfilled January23, '1941v SerialNo. 3753814, now 'PatentNo l2;4l6`2',0`61 dated February 1949, entitled "'IIig'h Frequency Transmission nn object 'of this invention is 'the .provision of an .improved multiplex transmission system utillZing variable duration widthplilses, and a `cath-- ode ray "tube folthejproduc`tion of saidpulses.

n accordance with a feature of this invention, pdlse's are `producedwhose widtlror duration vari'es in accordance 'with vinstantaneous amplitudes ofthe signal 1in 'afgiven channeh The system is used .'for multiplex transmission, and `a single cathode ray "tube "is used Lto produce the width modulated pulses and to distribute or mix them in.a.single.output circuit. is accomplished in accordance with a :feature of the invention by deilecting anfelectronibeam iincazgiven coordinate so as to scan cyclically a plurality of target structures, thetarget structuresbeing vdesigned toprovide dierent traversal times at differentA displacements in a secondcoordinate. 'The displacement of the beam in the second coordinate is successively controlled by the instantaneous amplitude D'flthe signal wave 'in successive'channels corre- Ilate.dwiththeimpingement of thebeamon corre-- 'spendingtarget structures. ln'the example illustrated a polar Vcoordinate -sys'temis shown.

Onemethod of performing-multiplex transmission utilizing the present invention will be more readily understood by referring to the drawing Figures I and II of which show a schematic circuit diagram partly in block formA of an embodiment of my invention and a set of curves used in explaining the invention respectively.

A cathode ray tube I, Figure I, has 8 similar pairs of target plates, as shown in Fig. 16 of the parent application, the plates of each pair being arranged one behind the other. The plate 2 is larger than the plate 3 and is placed behind it as shown. Plates 2, 4, 5, 6, 1, 8, 9 and I0 are utilized as circuit switching plates, while the smaller plates 3, II, I2, I3, I4, I5, I5 and I'I are used for the purpose of generating variable width modulated pulses. The plates as shown have parallel sides this particular shape being taken for exemplary purposes only. Electrostatic deflecting means such as plates I8 are available in the cathode ray tube, and an electron beam I9 produced by the conventional electron gun 20 follows a circular path 2| across all theswitchmg and 17 Claims. (Cl. .179-15' 2 `n-lodulating plates. `The alternating current 'source 22,Fig. I, supplies current `*at a 'frequency I'equal to the desired pulse repetition 'frequencyto an amplitude modulating unit v123 `and a phase splitting unit 24, whence the alternating current is fed in phase quadrature tothe deectin'g 4plates ill of the cathode ray tube I giving the Vtrace -2I already mentioned.

@ne of the `blockingcircuits. 25-32'fis interposed between -each source of 'intelligence 33-4'0 'and the medulatingunit 23,'a separatefblockingcircuit being allocated to each intelligence-source. Normally vthe several "blocking 'circuits operate "to prevent signals from the various intellige'ne'e sources from reaching the modulating Aunit 23.

Considering the electron lbeam Ain the Itube "I just before it strikes the plate 2, ithe operation i's as follows. The beam is not'restingon any plate and in this condition all the blocking circuits are operative. 'Immediately the beam strikes `plate `2 a pulse is vderived therefrom and'this 'pulse can be utilizedto trigger a double stability circuit-of known type, such as vmultivibrator 4I, setting up the pulse 42, Fig. II, The pulse 42 'serves to Yso the blocking circuit '-2`5 `that it becomes inoperative and `allows the signal intelligence "from source 3s to pass -to the modulating vunit L23, 'thereby changing the amplitude of the alternating current from the `source 22 inaccordancewith the amplitude of the signal from the 'source 33. Inssui'ning that the-change in amplitude is such tnatftne signalf'fed in phasequadrature trom the unit 121i decreases L'the diameter of the trace 2i then the *beam as it passes over plate 3 takes a longer period oftime to "pass completely 'across the plate than would be the case when no modulation was taking place. Alternatively, if the modulation should increase the diameter of the trace 2 I, the result will be for the beam to take a shorter period of time than normal to cross the plate 3. The electron beam therefore crosses the plate 3 giving a pulse having a duration which is a time function of the amplitude of the signal from the source 33, Immediately the beam leaves the plate 3 it once more strikes plate 2 giving another pulse serving to trigger the double stability circuit (multivibrator 4 I) in the reverse direction and thus discontinuing the pulse 42, whereupon the bias is removed from the blocking circuit 25 thereby making this circuit operative once more and cutting oi the signal intelligence from the source 33.

The electron beam continues on its travel and after a very short timeperiod strikes the switching plats 4 setting up via another double stability 3 circuit, multivibrator 43, the pulse 44, which serves to unblock the circuit 26, allowing the signal from the source 34 to pass to the modulating Y unit 23, modifying the diameter of the trace 2| in such a manner that the pulse derived from plate il has a time function of the amplitude of the signal from source 34. The beam now once more strikes plate 4 discontinuing pulse 44. The other intelligence channels operate in a similar manner, the pulse 45 for the pair of plates l0 and I1 only being shown in Figure II. The smaller plates 3, and i l-i1 are all coupled to a common output circuit 46 Where they are mixed to form a single train and are then fed to a suitable utilization device 4l which may include conventional transmission means including a carrier frequency generator, a modulator therefor, amplifying circuits, and an antenna.

While I have shown the individual plates in cathode ray tube i as rectangular and arranged in ay specic manner, it will be apparent that the shape oi the plates may be varied to obtain any desired relation between the width modulation and the signal modulation, and further that the arrangement of the plates may likewise be varied to vary said relation or even without varying said relation.

I claim:

1. A multiplex transmission system comprising means for deiiecting an electron beam in a given coordinate, a plurality of target structures arranged in the path of said beam to be cyclically scanned by the beam, said target structures being designed to provide different traversal times at different displacements in a second coordinate, means for controlling the displacement of said beam in said second coordinate in accordance vwith each of a number of signal Waves over successive periods, means for correlating said periods with the incidence of the beam on successive target structures, and means for collecting vfrom the target structures the current pulses of varying duration determined by the displacements of the trace in said second coordinate.

2. A multiplex transmission system according lto claim l, whereinsaid target structures are arranged in a circle each extending radially, and saidcoordinates are polar, with said given coordinate being circular and said second coordinate being radial.

3. A multiplex transmission system according .to claim 2, wherein said deflecting means includes means for producing sweep currents for deecting the beam in a circular trace, and said displacement controlling means includes means t for varying the amplitude of said currents to vary the diameter of said trace.

4. A multiplex transmission system according to claim 2, wherein said deecting means includes means for producing high frequency alternating currents in quadrature, and said deiiection controlling means includes means for varying the amplitude of said currents.

5. A multiplex transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said means controlling the displacement of said beam includes a plurality of additional target elements arranged behind said target structures and each positioned to be impinged upon by the beam before it strikes the corresponding structure, and a plurality of means each responsive to the impingement of the beam on its corresponding element for initiating the control of said displacement of the beam according to the amplitude of one of said signal waves.

6. A multiplex transmission system according to claim 5, wherein each of said elements also Y extends beyond its corresponding target structure so as to be struck by the beam after it leaves .said

target structure, each of said means responsive to the impingement of the beam on said element including means responsive to the impingement of the beam as it strikes the element after leaving the corresponding target structure, for terminating control of said deiiection by the corresponding signal wave.

7. A multiplex transmission system according to claim 6, including a plurality of blocking cir'- v REFERENCES CITED .The following'references are Vof record in the le of this patent: Y

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,154,127 Hollman Apr. 1l, 1939 2,365,476 Knoop Dec.,19, 1944 l2,462,061 Beatty Feb. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 579,126 Great Britain June 6, 1947 

